


We Gathered in Spring

by Maedelmae



Category: Virgin River (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Communication, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Establishing relationships, F/F, F/M, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Pregnancy, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28872360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maedelmae/pseuds/Maedelmae
Summary: When Mel returns back to Virgin River, she knew things were going to be different, but not this different.With a sick Charmaine, and a distant Jack, Mel feels as though her chest is empty..o.Or: Charmaine/Mel/Jack getting together bc that scene where Mel is giving Charmaine a foot rub to help her anxiety is literally all that I ever wanted and then the show went off the rails. So I'm giving them the happiness they all deserve.
Relationships: Charmaine Roberts/Jack Sheridan, Charmaine Roberts/Melinda Monroe, Jack Sheridan/Melinda Monroe/Charmaine Roberts, Melinda Monroe/Jack Sheridan
Kudos: 3





	We Gathered in Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the summary, that foot rub scene was literally all I ever wanted and more. I still don't know why the writers are making Charmaine out to be the bad guy, when her expectations are realistic for someone in her situation. Also Jack is a very confusing guy who doesn't really know what he wants so he inadvertently hurts others by trying to do what's right, even if it hurts him in the process. 
> 
> I could rant about Virgin River literally all day. So if you are interested in an in-depth discussion about one of my favorite shows, you can reach me @yo.its.alright on Instagram. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!

When Mel came back to Virgin River, she knew things were going to be different, but not this different. 

“What’s wrong?” A voice called from the bed behind her. She set the necklace in her hands down and turned, looking back at the two currently occupying her bed. 

“Nothing… just thinking.”

“Oh, and what are you thinking about?” Charmaine’s sweet voice carried through the open room. It was spoken softly as the man next to her was asleep. 

“I guess how much life has changed since I moved here.” 

“Yeah?” The pregnant woman stretched, making sure not to jostle or disturb Jack. He hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few days and neither woman wanted to interrupt the first good sleep he has had in awhile. “How so?” 

Mel sighed. 

“I guess I never knew that I could have a good life after the accident. But here I am, surprised things have gone so well. I can’t help but think sometimes that this is all a dream and I’m going to wake up in some hospital back in L.A.” 

Charmaine padded over to Mel and hugged her from behind, her pregnant belly—just starting to show—resting on the curve of Mel’s back. 

A gentle kiss was pressed to the back of her neck and two arms wound around her waist. 

“You aren’t dreaming. I can assure you, if you were dreaming then I wouldn’t need to pee every ten minutes because the twins decided to sit on my bladder.” Mel laughed softly and placed her hands atop Charmaine’s. 

“You’re right, I’m just being silly.”

“I don’t think you’re being silly. Just like I don’t think Jack’s being silly when he has a hard day.” Mel rested her head back on Charmaine's shoulder and kissed the bottom of her jaw. 

“Once again, you’re right.”

“Damn right.” 

Mel smiled and buried her nose in the space between Charmaine’s jaw and her ear. “Still, I feel incredibly lucky to have both you  _ and _ Jack. A dream come true.” 

.oOo.

Mel had always liked Charmaine. 

The other woman was pretty and nice and had a good sense of herself. She knew what she wanted in life and was ambitious, but not greedy.. She had her faults—everybody did—but they weren’t impossible to glance over. 

It had broken her heart when Charmaine had announced her pregnancy, and Jack, ever the martyr, had decided that he would take responsibility. She had understood the message. There wouldn’t be any room for her. She wouldn’t begrudge either of them a chance for happiness—if she believed that this decision would lead to their happiness. 

Jack wouldn’t be happy if he was forced into a relationship with Charmaine because of his sense of duty, and Charmaine would want something that Jack wouldn’t be able to give. And Mel would be all alone, again. 

The thought not only discouraged and saddened her, but it made her terrified. She knew she had abandonment issues due to the people in her life dying. Her sister, her mother, her father, her daughter, her husband. 

So she had left. Back to L.A. 

She had called Doc and Hope to let them know that she was taking a couple weeks off because there was a family emergency (but with a family of one, any emergency became a family emergency). Joey was happy to host her until she came to terms with the fact that she would always be second. Would always be alone, the supporter, not the supported. It was expected. A role she was very familiar with.

Then she went back, and Jack wouldn’t talk to her, Charmaine was sick, everybody was treating her like she was fragile. And the worst part was that she actually felt fragile. She felt like a porcelain figurine that somebody had dropped and then repaired with school glue. Only Doc treated her like normal. So she found solace in her work, throwing herself into it with an unhealthy fervor, but it kept her mind off of the aching pit in her chest. 

Then Charmaine’s condition took a turn for the worse and she had to stay with Hope in order to monitor her. 

Jack was still acting off around her, and she couldn’t expect him to act like nothing happened. Charmaine was acting both sweet, and vengeful—sending her off on errands just so that she could tell Mel she didn’t actually want the thing she sent her out for. She also fought every single thing Mel tried to help her with. She wouldn’t drink water, she wouldn’t attempt to drink any broth, she refused an IV outright, and she constantly made remarks about how Jack loved her more. Mel found that she resented her for this. She hated that she felt that way, because she had genuinely liked Charmaine, but a small part of her hoped that Charmaine would just leave and never come back. 

But that was awful, and Mel felt guilty everytime she thought about it. Charmaine was sick, almost to the point of losing her babies. She was anxious and she was deflecting. Mel had done the same thing when she first lost her daughter, and then when she lost her husband. 

A few days later, things took a surprising turn when Mel decided to give her a massage to help her anxiety about the IV. 

It hadn’t started as something between them, but quickly grew in intensity until it was a tender moment between the two. The skin contact had sparked something between the two and a hormonal Charmaine had started crying minutes in. 

“Are you feeling any pain?” Mel had asked, jumping up and checking the pregnant woman’s pulse and blood pressure. 

“No, no. It just…” She trailed off, overwhelmed. “I’m… scared I guess. I don’t know what’s happening to me and I don’t think I’ll live if I lose the baby.” Mel didn’t think about how easily her hand moved to run through Charmaine’s hair, or how easily Charmaine accepted her comfort. 

“I understand. I’ve been there. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are able to carry to term. I give my word that I will help you with whatever I need.” Charmaine nodded, eyes shut, tears still rolling down her cheeks. 

“Thank you, Mel.” She sniffed and looked up at the red head. “I wanna apologize for how I’ve been treating you. You’ve done a lot for me and I didn’t return the favor like I should have.” 

“No, you didn’t. But I’m willing to put it behind me. As long as we have an understanding, I forgive you.” 

“You’re way too nice.” Charmaine had said, her head rolling back on her shoulders so that she was staring up at the ceiling. “I can’t wait until I stop feeling awful, and I can go home and put all of this behind me.” 

“I’ll do my best to get you there.” 

The two smiled at each other and Mel removed her hand from Charmaine’s long, dark hair. She made her way back to Charmaine’s feet and started the massage again. The scent of lavender flooded the room and though the room was somewhat chilled, Mel felt warm. 

She couldn’t help but glance up and make eye contact with Charmaine who had taken to staring at her. 

“What?” She didn’t stop the massage. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Charmaine breathed. “But I think I know what it is Jack sees in you.” 

That stayed Mel’s hands and she looked up at the sick woman with wide eyes. 

“And what would that be?” She breathed in return. 

“You’re kind. And you’re beautiful. And you’re selfless. And you’re smart.” Mel couldn’t help the blush that arose on her cheeks. “And you’re also adorable when you blush, apparently.” Charmaine’s genuine smile turned into a smirk as Mel sat stunned at her feet. 

“Wha?” She breathed, the word not forming completely in shock. 

“I like you, Mel. And I was dumb for not realizing it sooner.” 

“Oh.” Mel looked back down at her hands, still oiled up and cradling Charmaine’s feet. “I… I like you too.” She said gently. She had never thought that a relationship between them was possible. She had thought about it before, had even dreamt about it, but had never once entertained it as a real possibility. 

Charmaine smiled down at her, cheeks flushed. 

“I still have to put the IV in, though.” Charmaine’s smile dropped. 

“Fine. But only because I trust that you know what you’re doing. Is there any way I don't have to look at it?” She pleaded. 

“I can put a blanket over your arm to hide it.”

“Thank you so much. Like I said, too nice.” They smiled at each other. 

Minutes later when Mel had finished inserting the IV and covering it with a blanket, Charmaine kissed her. 

It was soft, and her lips were chapped, but Mel wouldn’t have it any other way. She melted into it, making sure not to jostle Charmaine’s arm as she delved further and further into the kiss. 

.oOo.

The next problem regarded Jack. 

Charmaine and Mel had talked and they both loved the man, but the problem lay with the man’s stony exterior. His world-weariness made it hard to communicate completely with the man. He was stoic to the point of self-harm—something that would be addressed in the future to be sure. 

But she couldn’t blame him on his stoicism, because Mel knew that she had hurt him, and Charmaine had confessed the same. Mel had left without telling him, too overwhelmed by her own issues that she hadn’t taken Jack’s into account, and Charmaine hadn’t been fair to Jack in her expectations of him. 

Uncertain of the status of their newfound relationship, and hoping Jack would be open with a relationship between the three of them, the two called a meeting with him. 

He had arrived with a nervous demeanor, as if he was walking to his own execution. It made Mel sad, thinking that instead of feeling comfortable around the women who loved him, he was uncomfortable and almost afraid. They would be talking about that though. Mel would inform them of her history—even if it hurt—and she would be clear about her wishes. 

She refused to hurt either Charmaine or Jack because of a misunderstanding she caused. 

Mel started, laying out the development between Charmaine and herself and how she still had feelings for Jack. 

“I still want to pursue a relationship with you.”

“But… Charmaine?” The man swallowed, his tone gruff—as though he were holding back tears. 

“I want to pursue a relationship with her too.”

“I don’t… understand?” 

“I would like to be in a relationship with both of you, because I like both of you. Charmaine feels the same,” Charmaine nodded when Jack looked over at her. “We both would like to enter a relationship with you.” 

“How does that work?” 

“Well, we would all be with each other romantically. At least, what I’m wanting is a romantic relationship with both of you. This meeting is so we can establish our expectations with each other.” 

Jack nodded, swallowed and nodded again. 

“And you’re sure you want something with both of us?” He asked Mel. 

“I do.”

“You too?” He directed to Charmaine. 

“Yes. I want a romantic relationship with you and Mel.” 

“Okay… Alright.” Jack stood up, paced a few times and then sat down. “I agree.”

“You agree?”

He stood there silently looking at the two. 

“Alright then, I guess this is what we’re doing.” He sighed and sat down heavily on his chair, but the furrow in his brow was lessened and his eyes were alight with emotion. 

Mel sunk into her seat, bracing herself for the spilling of her long and arduous history that most of her hangups came from. Especially since the anniversary of Mark’s death was swiftly approaching. She felt okay, but she didn’t know. Her emotions were tumultuous on a good day, but on a bad day they were unpredictable, and they needed to know why. 

But at least they were moving forward together. 

.oOo.

They had been together for a few months, and though there were certainly rocky moments, they had made it a policy to communicate. It was really the only way to manage their relationship. So before bed, they took turns getting the trials and tribulations of the day off of their chests, and they talked about their feelings. 

Jack had bad days, Mel had bad days, and Charmaine had bad days. But they were happy. They were together and they knew it was where they belonged. 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
